Dagger's Hilt
The Dagger's Hilt mercenary company has been reborn, taking Maelstrom closer to it's roots. The decision to reform the dissolved mercenary company was quite unanimous amongst the fighting elite of Maelstrom. Now every mercenary, gladiator and brawler has a branch they can call their home, stepped in a rich history of successful contracts and perhaps some under the table dealings. Unlike the other branches of Maelstrom, the Dagger's Hilt mercenaries never really need to hide their identity. They are on paper everything a proper mercenary company should be, the only difference is that they only recruit Maelstrom members. Other than that the members of the hilt don't tend to dabble in just mercenary work but also stage their own challenges and hunts. In essence, you can expect them to be involved in anything that includes a lot of fighting. Finally, it's worth to note that this is the only branch that truly uses a tabard in the entirety of Maelstrom, but even those outside of the branch itself are allowed to call themselves members of the Hilt. Known Members Ringleaders: Isaac Wickland - Slayer Inner Circle: Erthar Ravon - Knight Dagger's Hilt: Hiari Callahan - Juggernaught Dahla Greatbolt - Knight Voxy Boltbarrier - Knight Jackie Scarlet - Duelist Throval Earthbreaker - Slayer Kaelyn Delaunay - Cleric Specializations Duelist A master of single combat, the duelist specializes in battles where he can focus on one opponent and in those battles, there are few who can compete with them. A duelist's value lies in his speed. They attack fast and in quick succession which is the theme of their kit. They have their own resource, also known as momentum, this resource replaces mana completely. Spiritblade A fighting form developed and researched by Arc, a former council member of Maelstrom. Arc found a way to create powerful bonds between the living and spirits. By stabilizing spiritual energy and providing the spirit with a conduit. This art forms an emotional link between the Spiritblade and their "guest". The feelings between the Spiritblade and the spirit must be mutual for the connection to work. Once this occurs, the two become quite inseparable and form a strange psychic link between each other, usually maintained by arcane or blood magic. Slayer Slayers become the best with the weapons they surround themselves with. They hone their skills will their respective tools and use them to fight with full efficiency. Whether you are martial or use spells doesn't really matter, just like there are swords or axes there are also tomes and magical focuses to alter or empower your spells. Different slayers use different tools, but the core concept remains the same. Juggernaught A juggernaut is primarily defensive and specializes in outlasting the opposition. They can hold their own in any fights and certainly don't need allies to constantly support them but they're a good comfort to have around when someone needs to take the brunt of the enemy and live to tell about it. When they do attack, they attack with raw but rather predictable force. War Healer Healers and fighters who wish to learn how to use healing magic often become War healers. For the Dagger's Hilt it's essential to be able to hold your own in any fight and this is ultimately what war healers specialize in. They master a mixture of offense and defense which combines into a rather effective combat style which both protects allies and punishes enemies. Primalist These warriors are a fairly new addition to Maelstrom, their art only discovered after Maelstrom got a chance to explore Draenor. They harness an ancient technique which allows them to absorb the power of fallen enemies. However, Primalists can only absorb the power of worthy foes, usually beasts of legend or power. This ability allows them a great amount of versatility, which is their primary strength. Knight Some would say there is no greater honour than defending your friends and family from danger. Knights form the resolute frontline of any battlefield. Alone they are merely tough, but when given the purpose of defense, no one is their equal. A knight fights to protect others and themselves from danger, therefore their offensive talents are generally considered lackluster. Cleric Maelstrom has never been big on goodie two shoes or light wielders in general. These clerics on the other hand are anything but orthodox. After forming a cooperation with a clerical order, Maelstrom secured special training for select Dagger's Hilt members. These members began practicing the art of sigils, the ability to create special signs imbued with holy and elemental power. A particularly strange and flexible art of magic that doesn't require innate magical talent, but rather patience and perseverance. That is not to say that these particular clerics are strictly good natured however.